Radiology 2012 applicants

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DrBowtie said:
Anyone have any strategy to track their applications? The function on ERAS isn't really conducive if you applied to more than a few programs as you must click each individually.
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I made a spreadsheet... took me 1 hour but it's worth it now!
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I have a spreadsheet as well, however, on ERAS you have to scroll through each individual program to see its status. Wish there was a view akin to the Assignment report page that showed status updates.

Anyone else's USMLE Transcript not uploaded?
 
DrBowtie said:
I have a spreadsheet as well, however, on ERAS you have to scroll through each individual program to see its status. Wish there was a view akin to the Assignment report page that showed status updates.

Anyone else's USMLE Transcript not uploaded?
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Mine got uploaded at 2:40 PM EST

I've heard it can happen on the same day or take up to 3 days
 
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Tracking seems stressful- gonna just hope I get some interviews...
 
I have a question. My school was supposed to let us know if we were AOA or not by the end of August, but they still haven't. I know the dean was supposed to be signing the winner's today and verifying who got it. Should I wait and not submit my application til I find out? Right now, I just have it marked as they will be choosing this year, but obviously it would be nice to put that I am AOA.
 
MedManU said:
I have a question. My school was supposed to let us know if we were AOA or not by the end of August, but they still haven't. I know the dean was supposed to be signing the winner's today and verifying who got it. Should I wait and not submit my application til I find out? Right now, I just have it marked as they will be choosing this year, but obviously it would be nice to put that I am AOA.
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Isn't that on the Profile portion that you can update?
 
I don't know what you can update. I was thinking about submitting, but then it said something along the lines about how it was unchangeable and irrevocable so it scared me off. If I can update it easily then I will definitely submit it. Also, do you guys know your USMLE transcripts were uploaded from the "Track Application" tab? Mine isn't showing up anywhere yet.
 
MedManU said:
I don't know what you can update. I was thinking about submitting, but then it said something along the lines about how it was unchangeable and irrevocable so it scared me off. If I can update it easily then I will definitely submit it. Also, do you guys know your USMLE transcripts were uploaded from the "Track Application" tab? Mine isn't showing up anywhere yet.
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Yeah under track applications with the photo, personal statement, letters, and other stuff.
 
Does anyone know if you can update that AOA part on the profile after submitting for sure or not?
 
MedManU said:
Does anyone know if you can update that AOA part on the profile after submitting for sure or not?
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You definitely can. I submitted this morning but I can still update the profile section.

Side question

I saw this in the USMLE transcript section - "Do you authorize the transmission of your USMLE transcript to designated programs? Please note that an updated transcript cannot be transmitted to only a subset of programs; your USMLE transcript will be sent to every program that previously received it."

I thought we were allowed to send Step 2 scores to specific programs and didn't have to send them to every program?
 
That makes it sound like if you already submitted the USMLE transcript to the programs, then if you need to update it, every program already submitted to will get the update. But, if you haven't ever submitted your USMLE transcript to a program, then you can do it separately. That's my guess.

Thanks for the help.
 
Programs will beg you soon to go for an interview. The number of applicants this year will be much less than the sluts available.
Who wants to do radiology for 6 years and then end up doing barium enema and reading portable ICU in the boonies?
 
MedManU said:
That makes it sound like if you already submitted the USMLE transcript to the programs, then if you need to update it, every program already submitted to will get the update. But, if you haven't ever submitted your USMLE transcript to a program, then you can do it separately. That's my guess.

Thanks for the help.
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Yeah in past years I had the impression that if you took Step 2 post-app submission that you could send your Step 1 scores to all programs and then when you got your Step 2 results you could send to specific programs, like the ones that require it for ranking.
 
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2012mdc said:
Yeah in past years I had the impression that if you took Step 2 post-app submission that you could send your Step 1 scores to all programs and then when you got your Step 2 results you could send to specific programs, like the ones that require it for ranking.
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They won't care about your step 2. They will beg you to go for an interview. Who wants to do radiology for 6+ years and end up in the middle of nowhere for 180K ?
 
2012mdc said:
Yeah in past years I had the impression that if you took Step 2 post-app submission that you could send your Step 1 scores to all programs and then when you got your Step 2 results you could send to specific programs, like the ones that require it for ranking.
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I think its an all or none update.
 
Neuronix said:
Thanks for making my job easy. Knock it off please.
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No problem dude.
You are right. There are a lot of jobs out there and there is no such thing as "turf war" in radiology.
 
So, I feel ready to take Step 2. Should I just go for it?

If you have a high step 1 score, is there any real benefit to taking step 2 early? will very competitive programs like bwh, ucsf, whatever use it as a discriminating factor? put it another way: is there any place that officially or unofficially requires a step 2 to grant an interview? otherwise i'd still lean toward taking it in november or later

rads.matchapplicants.com does have a few people who got these aforementioned v. competitive interviews without step 2, but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by not having one available. seems like most people had step 1 and 2 and it makes sense: in a sea of high 250s or 260+s, why not take the guy who has the high step 1 AND step 2, plus grades/research/blah blah blah. Proves step 1 wasn't a fluke. Am I crazy?
 
Radiculous said:
So, I feel ready to take Step 2. Should I just go for it?

If you have a high step 1 score, is there any real benefit to taking step 2 early? will very competitive programs like bwh, ucsf, whatever use it as a discriminating factor? put it another way: is there any place that officially or unofficially requires a step 2 to grant an interview? otherwise i'd still lean toward taking it in november or later

rads.matchapplicants.com does have a few people who got these aforementioned v. competitive interviews without step 2, but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by not having one available. seems like most people had step 1 and 2 and it makes sense: in a sea of high 250s or 260+s, why not take the guy who has the high step 1 AND step 2, plus grades/research/blah blah blah. Proves step 1 wasn't a fluke. Am I crazy?
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Well assuming you have submitted or will submit soon there is no harm in taking it now if you are ready....unless you already checked the "re-transmit USMLE transcript automatically" button
 
It doesn't matter. If you want to take it and it's convenient, take it. UCSF requires a step 2 score before ranking, but that's in feb.

Radiculous said:
So, I feel ready to take Step 2. Should I just go for it?

If you have a high step 1 score, is there any real benefit to taking step 2 early? will very competitive programs like bwh, ucsf, whatever use it as a discriminating factor? put it another way: is there any place that officially or unofficially requires a step 2 to grant an interview? otherwise i'd still lean toward taking it in november or later

rads.matchapplicants.com does have a few people who got these aforementioned v. competitive interviews without step 2, but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by not having one available. seems like most people had step 1 and 2 and it makes sense: in a sea of high 250s or 260+s, why not take the guy who has the high step 1 AND step 2, plus grades/research/blah blah blah. Proves step 1 wasn't a fluke. Am I crazy?
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drizzt3117 said:
It doesn't matter. If you want to take it and it's convenient, take it. UCSF requires a step 2 score before ranking, but that's in feb.
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Right, but they have their rank meeting in mid to late January. You were the one who said you were taking it late December/early January, right? Might be cutting it too close.

Just seems like high step 1 scores are increasingly common and more and more applicants are opting to take step 2 early. Could become a de facto standard.

I'll still end up taking it November bc I am lazy and won't get it done until there's a gun to my head and interviews are coming up.
 
I'm taking the end of this month. I finished on IM so I've still (hopefully) got some of that retained. I figure getting them back mid October is still early enough to help get interviews if I did well.
 
Radiculous said:
Right, but they have their rank meeting in mid to late January. You were the one who said you were taking it late December/early January, right? Might be cutting it too close.

Just seems like high step 1 scores are increasingly common and more and more applicants are opting to take step 2 early. Could become a de facto standard.

I'll still end up taking it November bc I am lazy and won't get it done until there's a gun to my head and interviews are coming up.
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Take it early if you want, but from my conversations with PDs, no one cares about step 2. I finished 3rd year with 99s on medicine/surgery NBMEs and was going to take step 2 right when I was done because I felt like I'd crush it, but when I asked a few PDs about it they told me not to be an idiot because it didn't matter.

I'll prolly take it around dec 15. Regarding UCSF, I'm not worried about it, I had a conversation with their PD, it's an institutional requirement, not a program requirement. As far as ranking, they tend to do that more towards the deadline traditionally.
 
drizzt3117 said:
Take it early if you want, but from my conversations with PDs, no one cares about step 2. I finished 3rd year with 99s on medicine/surgery NBMEs and was going to take step 2 right when I was done because I felt like I'd crush it, but when I asked a few PDs about it they told me not to be an idiot because it didn't matter.
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This was what I was told by a PD as well. He basically said his committee doesn't even look at step 2 scores because...
1) Not everyone has taken it
2) The average is higher, so the scores are inflated compared to step 1
3) Almost all the applicants they get perform really well on it, so it's not much use in terms of differentiating between applicants.

This was just one pd's take though. I'm sure there's variation between programs.
 
jahbrony said:
This was what I was told by a PD as well. He basically said his committee doesn't even look at step 2 scores because...
1) Not everyone has taken it
2) The average is higher, so the scores are inflated compared to step 1
3) Almost all the applicants they get perform really well on it, so it's not much use in terms of differentiating between applicants.

This was just one pd's take though. I'm sure there's variation between programs.
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DrizzT- you obviously know more given that you did the away and had a conversation -- I was just going by the website which said "late January." You're right about the institution wide requirement though -- radiology residency didn't impose the requirement themselves, they are just abiding by UCSF's institutional requirements, which implies that they actually don't consider it a particulalry critical component. Given the 3-4 week turnaround Dec. 15 would work fine, but that is literally smack in the middle of interview season, so consider that factor.

Jahbrony - Nice. Yeah, November it is.
 
Radiculous said:
DrizzT- you obviously know more given that you did the away and had a conversation -- I was just going by the website which said "late January." You're right about the institution wide requirement though -- radiology residency didn't impose the requirement themselves, they are just abiding by UCSF's institutional requirements, which implies that they actually don't consider it a particulalry critical component. Given the 3-4 week turnaround Dec. 15 would work fine, but that is literally smack in the middle of interview season, so consider that factor.

Jahbrony - Nice. Yeah, November it is.
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Yeah, I mean, I have my sub-I in oct and EM in nov so I don't have much choice.
 
i think mgh also requires step 2 to rank.
 
Quick Question on LORs.

I have 2 in right now but i'm waiting on a 3rd from a chair that promised to write a sterling letter. Is this too late to have it in by Oct 1st or should all letters be in by now as well?
 
killinsound said:
Quick Question on LORs.

I have 2 in right now but i'm waiting on a 3rd from a chair that promised to write a sterling letter. Is this too late to have it in by Oct 1st or should all letters be in by now as well?
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Some schools wait until the MSPE is in on Nov 1st to review the apps. Others like Cleveland Clinic do so on a rolling fashion, but Dr. TLM said as long as 1-2 letters are in, the file can be evaluated. I think you will be fine with two letters in.
 
Illusive Man said:
Hello!

I am applying to Radiology as well and finally submitted my ERAS.

From what my friends from last year told me, only UCSF requires Step 2 to rank. However, according to the following link, Step 2 is required for MGH as well?

http://www.massgeneral.org/radiology/education/residency.aspx?id=67

Anyone have any insight?
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That website actually says "completion of steps I and II" are required to "complete the application," the deadline of which is Nov. 1st. This would imply that completion of Step II is required for interview selection. That can't be right. Anyone?
 
drizzt3117 said:
I'll ask the PD if I run into her, but I'm just planning on taking step 2 in mid dec.
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lmao. "i'll ask the PD if i run into her." awesome.

did you think in advance that ucsf, stanford, and bwh/mgh (can't remember which) were the best places to do aways because the threshold for getting an interview is the hardest there (like, you are using these aways to get the foot in the door), or was that just a coincidence?
 
Radiculous said:
lmao. "i'll ask the PD if i run into her." awesome.

did you think in advance that ucsf, stanford, and bwh/mgh (can't remember which) were the best places to do aways because the threshold for getting an interview is the hardest there (like, you are using these aways to get the foot in the door), or was that just a coincidence?
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It was a factor, but not as much as the fact that I have strong relationships with researchers at the bay area programs, like them, and the fact that I like Boston a lot (did ug here). If the most competitive programs were in the south and mountain states I wouldn't have done aways there. My program has an extremely strong relationship with SF, like 8 faculty members including the former chair (my PI) trained at ucsf or were faculty, so he strongly encouraged I do an away there.
 
People from other specialties starting to get interviews....
I can already tell this is going to be stressful for the entire class. People already getting jealous etc.
 
DrBowtie said:
People from other specialties starting to get interviews....
I can already tell this is going to be stressful for the entire class. People already getting jealous etc.
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Yeah it is going to be very stressful.

According to AM rads and ty/prelim invites have started as well.

I'm getting stressed because the majority of my letters still have not been uploaded so my app is probably considered incomplete by most programs and not even being looked at
 
2012mdc said:
Yeah it is going to be very stressful.

According to AM rads and ty/prelim invites have started as well.

I'm getting stressed because the majority of my letters still have not been uploaded so my app is probably considered incomplete by most programs and not even being looked at
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I'm right there with you. I've got one in right now and got an email from a TY saying that they'll look at my app once I have at least two in. I'm so irritated because I gave them plenty of time to get them in.
 
Only thing I'm waiting on is my school transcipt and my only rads letter. Not expecting to hear anything at least until next week when my school sends our transcripts.

Hang tight guys, we're in for a long 6 months.
 
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jahbrony said:
Submitted on 9/1. Complete at 90% of the places I applied. And I'm completely interview-less. No rads or TY. :scared:

From the looks of other threads, the peds kids are raking in the interviews... maybe I should've dual applied just to feel better :laugh:
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Last year my cousin said that she started getting both TY and rads interviews at the end of the month, so I'd expect that!
 
DrBowtie said:
Only thing I'm waiting on is my school transcipt and my only rads letter. Not expecting to hear anything at least until next week when my school sends our transcripts.

Hang tight guys, we're in for a long 6 months.
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Once all my letters are in I'll be able to relax a bit. I just don't want to miss out on rounds of invites just bc my letters aren't uploaded when I made a concerted effort to have my app complete on 9/1.
 
2012mdc said:
Once all my letters are in I'll be able to relax a bit. I just don't want to miss out on rounds of invites just bc my letters aren't uploaded when I made a concerted effort to have my app complete on 9/1.
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All of my letters are in except one surgery letter, but I haven't gotten anything yet. Not sure if rads programs would wait on that.
 
try not having any of your letters in and being an img...they will all be uploaded together, when?...hopefully soon; just waiting on a lady to do her job
 
Well apparently you don't need more than one LoR for an interview invite...
 
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xx216xx said:
Well apparently you don't more than one LoR for an interview invite...
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Depends on the program. I got an email today from a reasonably competitive program that they reviewed my app already but couldn't make a decision on my interview status until I had enough letters in.
 
I found out our school hasn't uploaded our transcripts yet, but will do it early if we ask them to, lol, thanks guys.
 
2012mdc said:
Depends on the program. I got an email today from a reasonably competitive program that they reviewed my app already but couldn't make a decision on my interview status until I had enough letters in.
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Yea, I received one of those emails too but I was just saying that having only one in doesn't totally exclude you from getting an interview somewhere...I'm kind of curious what it is that they look at specifically that makes them feel comfortable enough to do that...maybe they see who you have specified will submit one and feel comfortable that they will be in by interview time and not bashing you?

I dunno, my second LoR was uploaded today so I'm feeling more comfortable about being reviewed now instead of being set aside. Though I wish my third writer would at least return my phone calls so I could find out what's going on...
 
LOR's are stressful. We are all in the same boat. I think most people have a complete 3-4 letters by beginning of October. Snail mail sucks too because most of my letter writers will likely be sending the LORs via mail to my school.
 
xx216xx said:
I'm right there with you. I've got one in right now and got an email from a TY saying that they'll look at my app once I have at least two in. I'm so irritated because I gave them plenty of time to get them in.
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Do you think we can just hand deliver our LOR from a letter writer to the school? Obviously in a sealed envelope... or is that considered not staying true to the "waived my rights to see the letter"? I just want to speed up the process, and not wait the extra 2-3 days it takes the postal service and the school mail sorting service to get things in.
 
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